FINANCIAL ALLOCATION ON WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IN THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF KAKAMEGA, KENYA

Abstract

The relationship between financial allocation and women’s economic empowerment remains a central issue globally and nationally.In Kenya, although devolution has aimed to enhance women’s access to financial resources, persistent challenges such as poverty, limited financial literacy, and weak policy engagement continue to hinder progress.In Kakamega County, where 35.1% of residents live below the poverty line, women still encounter structural barriers that restrict their ability to access, control, and benefit from financial resources.The core purpose of this study was to examinethe influence of financial allocation on women’s economic empowerment in the County Government of Kakamega, Kenya.This research explored how different financial allocation factors impact the economic empowerment on women in Kakamega County.Specifically, the study examined how financial allocation measured through financial availability, accessibility, literacy, and policy influences women’s economic empowerment in Kakamega County, with legal frameworks assessed as an intervening factor.The study adopted a pragmatism paradigm, a descriptive survey design within a convergent parallel mixed-methods framework, involving 910 respondents selected from a population of 2,998 through purposive and systematic sampling.Data were collected using open- and closed-ended questionnairesitems and interview schedules.The instruments demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.7. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlation, regression, and ANOVA, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Results indicated that all four dimensions of financial allocation availability, accessibility, literacy, and policy had a significant positive influence on women’s economic empowerment. Financial literacy emerged as the strongest predictor (β = .480), followed by accessibility (β = .330), availability (β = .220), and policy (β = .150), collectively explaining 55.8% of the variance (R² = .558, p < .001). Incorporating legal frameworks as an intervening factor increased the explanatory power to 62.4% (R² = .624, F (9,840) = 309.13, p < .001). Qualitative was analysed thematically and the findings reinforced the results by highlighting that financial literacy, access to credit, and supportive legal and policy environments enhanced women’s income, asset ownership, decision-making, and confidence.Overall, the study concluded that improving financial literacy, accessibility, and legal safeguards was essential for advancing women’s economic empowerment. Empirically, the study contributes to existing literature by showing that financial availability, accessibility, and literacy positively influence policymakers’ decisions on issues related to women’s empowerment in Kakamega County, Kenya.The findings demonstrate that while financial availability, accessibility, literacy, and policy all significantly contribute to empowerment outcomes, financial literacy and accessibility are particularly pivotal in enabling women to effectively utilize available resources. Furthermore, the integration of supportive legal frameworks enhances these effects by strengthening women’s ability to access, control, and benefit from financial opportunities.Therefore, sustainable women’s economic empowerment requires not only increased financial allocation but also targeted, inclusive, and gender-responsive strategies that prioritize capacity building, equitable access, and institutional support for vulnerable groups, especially women-headed households.The study recommends targeted funding for women-headed households, capacity-building initiatives, and enhanced collaboration between county governments and the private sector to address systemic inequalities in financial acces